Best Calgary Book Club

On the “Formerly, Great American Novelist” with a special guest

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On November 21, 2023 member Robin S. presented on the works of Jonathan Franzen. In 2010 Time magazine declared Franzen “The Great American Novelist”. By 2021, the BBC called him America’s most divisive novelist. Robin looked at the author’s evolution and by the end of her talk, she made a good case for picking up one of Franzen’s novels. Robin started by introducing her special guest, Coffee. Coffee is a service dog in-training.

Photo by S. Mattison

Jonathan Franzen is a prolific fiction and non-fiction writer. His novels The Corrections, Freedom, and Crossroads look at unhappy family life in middle America. He has written a memoir, The Discomfort Zone, which is really 6 essays about his life. For the speaker, Franzen’s detailing of his teenage angst was in the discomfort zone.

In addition he has authored a number of essays on a wide range of topics, frequently in a confrontational style. His essays and interviews frequently go a step to far and have landed him in controversies with Oprah fans, environmental groups, and the Audubon Society (among others). In his interviews and essays, Franzen has shown his intense personality. He is a compulsive bird watcher and has advocated for protecting birds from high-rise glass.

Robin briefly outlined Franzen’s biography and gave readings from his essays. She then went on to his fictional works, which she prefers. She descried them as big social novels – family sagas that address current trends and critique American culture and politics. His style is clean, with limited use of metaphor or simile (unkind reviewers might say a lack of style). Robin gave readings from all of Mr. Franzen’s novels to illustrate his spare style.

The Corrections (2001) is a sometimes autobiographical parody of a dysfunctional American family. It was a hit, and won several prizes including The National Book Award. His success got him invited to the Oprah show. However, his negative comments about Oprah’s book club soon got him uninvited. In 2010, his next novel Freedom (Robin’s favourite) was published, again to critical acclaim. After public apologies to Oprah, Franzen this time joined her on her show. However, the universal praise for his book was used on social media as an example of bias of the literary world toward white male authors.

Crossroads (2021) is Franzen’s latest novel, and reading it led Robin to choose this author for her presentation. Again, an unhappy American family is profiled. Critical reception has been mixed.

At the end of Robin’s talk, I was ready to dive into these family sagas. I might also check out one of Franzen’s essays (or a podcast) and see why he describes himself as “Mr. Difficult“.

At this meeting, we welcomed new member Eudy J. This was the last presentation of our fall session, but if you are interested in joining in the spring, click here. Our updated presentation schedule is here.

Good Characters Make Good Stories

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Photo by Elijah Mears on Unsplash

On November 7, 2023 member Cathy R. presented on author Barbara Kingsolver. This prolific American author produces character driven novels with a social message; her works are perennial book club favourites. Her most recent work, Demon Copperhead is set in her Appalachian home- now wracked by the opioid crisis.

Kingsolver is best known for that book and for The Poisonwood Bible. Some of her other successful books include: The Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven, Animal Dreams, Prodigal Summer, The Lacuna, Flight Behavior, Unsheltered and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – a guide to growing your own food. A quick poll of the room revealed most members have read at least one of Kingsolver’s books.

Cathy gave readings from the books Pigs in Heaven and Demon Copperhead. The readings illustrated how Barbara Kingsolver builds her novels the personality of the characters. Cathy also noted that these characters show exceptional resilience in the face of life’s great challenges.

Kingsolver uses her novels to illustrate social and political themes. In 1999, the author created the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction to reward new authors who are doing the same.

Thanks Cathy for providing us with a complete picture of an author we all know something of.

Join us next week when member Shawna M. will present on author Marcie R. Rendon.

Curious about Calgary’s longest running book club? We would love to meet you -guests are welcome. Go to Contact Us.

“Embrace the Spirit of Radio”

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On October 31, 2023, guest speaker Wakefield Brewster invited the members and guests to “embrace the spirit of radio-enter the Theatre of the Mind” while he performed his poetry.

Mr. Brewster is Calgary’s current Poet Laureate. His work is meant to be heard and felt. For him, his words are a gift that must come out – a blessing.

He first gave a reading from “Lunar Herstory” envisioning a cosmology where culture, lyricism, and astrophysics are the rings and his mother is the planet. “She knew more than she spoke..” – his vibrant, energetic voice filled the room. His rhythmic cadence is akin to rap music and he strode around the room while he spoke. Movement is an essential part of him and therefore an essential part of his poetry. It is kinetic- the work moves him.

Next he read from “H2O”, a poem written in 2001 in reference to the Walkerton disaster.

Finally, he presented a series of 5 poems representing 5 stages of the Covid pandemic. Covid is a Rumor, Covid is For Real, Polarized People, New Norms , and Projecting and Reflecting. Brewster ended his presentation with the encouraging words for us: “Y’all keep going.”

His beautiful voice, the rapping cadence, and his footsteps keeping time made for an electric presentation. Read his poems, yes, but see him in person. This work is meant to move and to move you.

Wakefield Brewster was born in Toronto to Barbadian parents. He now is happy to call Calgary home. Visit his website for more information and to see his video introduction to the Calgary Surge.

Next week, member Cathy R. will present on Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver is a novelist and essayist, whose recent work includes Demon Copperhead.

Interested but not a member yet? Click here to learn more.

Challenging Order and Intellect

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Encyclopædia Britannica, accessed Oct. 28 2023.

On October 24, CWLC President Mooréa G. presented on British playwright and author Tom Stoppard. Mooréa has been a member for more than 5 years and has previously presented on Stephan Stephansson and J.K. Rowling. She has served as Social Chair and as Vice President prior to her current role as President.

Tom Stoppard is a British author, best known as a playwright. His work often relies on clever wordplay. The plots and dialog are not difficult to follow but challenge the listener to ask questions and to take exception to the world order. Humor is used to offset some very dark subjects.

Mr. Stoppard is a prolific artist, and Mooréa chose to discuss three of his works (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; Arcadia; and Leopoldstadt) to give the audience a sense of his wit and world view over almost 60 years.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead was first performed in 1966. It highlights two minor characters from Hamlet, who are in many ways featureless and interchangeable. Mooréa gave several readings from this work that showed how Stoppard seamlessly moves the dialog from modern English to the Shakespearean lines. Clever but silly wordplay between the title characters almost gives them personality and shows up their lack of agency in the plot.

Arcadia (1993) is set around a family dining table in a British estate in two time periods: the early 19th and late 20th centuries. The early 18th century plot has a precocious teenager filled with 20th century ideas about science, her 22 year old tutor who is having an affair with the wife of one of the guests (this lady is also Lord Byron’s lover (what woman wasn’t?)), and fellow residents. The plot is second to the clever discussions between these unlikely housemates.

Leopoldstadt was first performed in 2020; it was also performed in 2022 for Holocaust Memorial Day. The play is semi-autobiographical, presenting generations of a Jewish family set in a bourgeois apartment in Vienna. Like Stoppard’s own family, some retain their Jewish faith and traditions, others are secular or converts. In some ways, this play is Stoppard’s search for his own Jewish heritage.

With 29 characters set in several time periods, the play is dense and difficult to follow. The main character, Leopold/Leonard has similarities to Stoppard. The play’s emphasis on unknown family is intended to show how we are responsible for even things we do not know.

Thank-you Mooréa for giving us a taste of this challenging author. Join us next week when we host Calgary’s poet laureate, Wakefield Brewster.